Reimbursement

Between 2005 and 2011, chemotherapy procedures in hospital outpatient settings for Medicare patients increased by more than 150 percent finds an analysis commissioned by members of the oncology community.

For many small, community stand-alone health systems across the country, eventually merging with another larger healthcare organization remains a distinct possibility. Until that day arrives though -- if it does at all -- these organizations must continue to focus their efforts on meeting the quality care needs of the local community.

Improving revenue cycle performance at a hospital or health system often requires changes to processes and technology, but also demands a renewed sense of teamwork, said officials at New Jersey’s Atlantic Health System.

Mid-Atlantic region payer CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield will launch in October an intelligent virtual assistant, called "Chloe," to help consumers who get their coverage directly from the payer's website to select the appropriate health plan.

There's a commonly held perception that healthcare is a process in which doctors take care of patients. But increasingly healthcare stakeholders are figuring out that, at times, a more effective way to help patients get healthy is to show them how to take care of themselves.

Payers wondering about competition under health reform might look to Denver, where underwriting regulations and a fair amount of provider concentration has left the commercial insurance market mostly divided into quarters.

  Last week, I received my weekly email update from the Maryland health insurance exchange: Maryland Health Connection completed its Final Detailed Design Review (FDDR) live system demo on Thursday, May 30. The FDDR is a federal stage-gate required of all state-based exchanges.

Disruptive innovation challenges the status quo, drives change and creates new markets. But what does disruptive innovation mean in regard to health benefits and healthcare delivery? A few companies tried to answer that question at the 2013 AHIP Institute Thursday.

Disruptive innovation challenges the status quo, drives change and creates new markets. But what does disruptive innovation mean in regard to health benefits and healthcare delivery?

Payers and employers are demonstrating that wellness programs can curb increases in healthcare costs and improve workforce productivity as employees become more involved in their health.